Zayed University’s Kaizen Management Approach Research Paper

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Updated: Feb 28th, 2024

Introduction

Since its independence in 1971, the United Arab Emirates has been working hard to improve the quality of education and ensure its compliance with global standards. As of now, the Middle Eastern country devotes up to 25% of its budget to education, and this approach has yielded tangible results. The literacy rate in the country is at an all-time high at 90% (up from 54% for men and 31% for women in 1971). As a result, the country has one of the highest applicant participation rates in the world, with 90% of girls and 85% of boys applying for university after secondary education. In 2016, the UAE housed around 80,000 international students, which once more confirms the prestige of its education. Yet, the current system is not devoid of faults that need rectification. One of the UAE’s largest schools, Zayed University, has been all over the local and global news due to its problematic policies and management solutions. It is clear that to stay afloat and make amends, the university might need to undergo a transformation. This paper explains exactly how Kaizen, a Japanese management philosophy, could help Zayed University recover after its failures.

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The Key Principles of the Kaizen Approach

The concept of kaizen was first created in Japan in the 1950s. Back then, the government and management were growing concerned about the state that their current system was in. Probably the biggest problem was the pending labor shortage that could potentially snap entire industries out of balance. Another driving factor behind the development of kaizen was the industrial change in occupied Japan that started shortly after World War II. Japan used the US’s Training Within Industry program (TWI) to revive its own manufacturing and change its perspective on how to achieve success and prosperity. The Japanese word “kaizen” means “change for the better” and can be roughly translated into English as “improvement.” This translation captures the essence of the concept. By embracing kaizen principles, Japan showed its commitment to making small, incremental changes that, however, had the potential to accumulate over time. As much as that solution might have appeared counterintuitive back then, it made more sense than making sweeping changes that could as well bring about collateral damage.

Over the last few decades, kaizen has become an essential part of the Japanese manufacturing system and contributed to its growth and refinement. The concept also yielded recognition worldwide, especially in the Western countries where it became synonymous with continuous improvement. However, as Gupta and Jain (2014) state in their study, kaizen is more than continuous improvement and should rather be interpreted as a philosophical approach to daily struggles. Out of all business models of excellence, the closest to kaizen is probably total quality management (TQM). Both systems acknowledge the role of each person – from a worker to the CEO – in advancing the cause. According to kaizen’s philosophy, quality and harmony are only reachable when every single individual is involved and sees value in what they are doing.

What makes kaizen stand out among other quality assurance models is that it can be applied to both micro and macrostructures. Depending on the scope of the problem, kaizen masters outline the following types:

  1. Point kaizen – when applied to one issue;
  2. System kaizen addresses system-level problems;
  3. Line kaizen is applied to a downstream process;
  4. Plane kaizen concerns a value stream;
  5. Cube kaizen spreads the philosophy across the entire organization so that no point, line, or plane is disjointed from the whole.

Regardless of the scope of application, kaizen can be broken down into the following universal steps:

  1. Definition of the area to be improved;
  2. Key problem analysis and selection;
  3. Identification of the cause of improvement;
  4. Improving project implementation;
  5. Measuring, analyzing and comparison of the results 6 standardize systems.

Kaizen covers many techniques, which include kanban, total productive maintenance, six-sigma, automation, just in time, suggestion system, and productivity improvement.

The Current Problems at Zayed University

Zayed University is one of three state-funded higher education in the United Arab Emirates. Since its foundation twenty-one years ago, the school has become the first education institution to be accredited by the prestigious Middle States Association in the USA. After that, Zayed University has only improved its standing by acquiring numerous other accreditations and proven to be serious about its mission to uphold international standards. In spite of the university’s excellent formal metrics and rankings, some of the organization’s policies and decisions have generated a great deal of controversy. Overall, the current issues with the school’s managerial system can be broken down into three categories.

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Poor student outcomes

ADEC (Abu Dhabi Education Council) has allegedly claimed that Zayed University has been underperforming when it comes to providing the workforce with well-educated and capable cadres. While this is a mere allegation not exactly grounded in hard facts, it is still essential that Zayed University looks into addressing it. Even if after the audit, student outcomes will prove to be compliant with the international standards, tackling the issue of the allegation will have more to deal with improving reputation;

Transparency and accountability

Over the last ten years, the journalistic investigation has led to the exposure of several issues plaguing the university. First, in December 2010, the Federal National Council expressed concerns regarding the competence of the university’s senior management (Swan, 2012). Namely, Zayed University was reported to owe over Dh33 million due to unpaid water and electricity bills. The same source claimed that three different people held the position of provost from April through June 2011, totaling seven provosts between 1998 and 2011. These aberrations led to a great deal of confusion.

Human resources development

Human resources are probably the university’s greatest issue as it is constantly failing to attract and retain talent, especially when it comes to foreign cadres. A recent survey showed that the majority of the organization’s staff did not feel happy about the work situation (Swan 2012). What further proves this claim is former and current employees’ reviews on websites such as Indeed.ae and Glassdoor.com. Just a few excerpts from the sources show that the contributors did not like “fear-mongering management” and “incompetent administrators.” Such reviews are undoubtedly detrimental to the university’s reputation inland and abroad. The question arises as to exactly what issues led to this public sentiment.

Apparently, Zayed University has gone too far with the so-called emiratisation of education. According to Emiratisation policies, at least 80% of the university staff should consist of local teachers and professors. On the one hand, this approach is understandable because it gives local teachers and professors a chance to make a career in education without the fear of being replaced by foreign counterparts. A former Zayed University professor told the National (2011) that parents often have the misconception about Emirati and expatriate teachers. They are under the wrong impression that foreigners are somehow better at teaching students, which is not always the case. The woman claims that seeing a qualified Emirati professor in the classroom creates a precedent for educational excellence. Such an employee shows students a good example of respecting the country and respecting the culture where teaching is seen as noble and even sacred.

At the same time, however, universities understand that by retaining foreign talent, they have more chances to be popular with international students. A mixed staff with an international background may be more understanding of foreign students and create a more diverse environment for the unlocking of their potential. With that being said, Zayed University decided on keeping its foreign cadres; however, it treated them differently than local employees. In 2008, non-Emirati academics at Zayed University only received a five percent pay increase for the sake of comparison; their Emirati colleagues enjoyed a 28 percent increase on top of their basic salary. Not only is it unfair, but also highly unsustainable. That year, the UAE saw an inflation rate of 11.1 percent, meaning decreased purchasing power and rising costs (Swan, 2012). Therefore, non-Emirati staff had to deal with much worse standards of living, which made many of them wonder whether pursuing an academic career in the UAE was worth it.

As Bardsley (2008) reports, the morale among non-Emirati employees was very low. They interpreted the faculty’s treatment as a literal “slap in the face.” Namely, one of the female employees interviewed on the occasion of an investigation into the school’s remuneration policies said that increases were “ridiculous.” Other employees admitted that the faculty was promising them much bigger increases, so they had high hopes, especially in the light of recent accreditation. Right after the new increases were announced, the university faced a row of resignations. The National (2011) interviewed a foreign professor at Zayed University who admitted that many teachers consider taking positions in the government sector or working for private businesses. Sometimes they go as far as giving up a prestigious position at Zayed University and taking an entry-level job that still pays them more.

Unfortunately, the issues with human resources development are not confined to remuneration. Nelson (2012) writes that in 2012, journalism professor Matt Duffy was fired on short notice and had to leave the country. Duffy was a guest professor from the United States who taught journalism and tried to promote Western values in the press, such as transparency and accountability. He established the Society of Professional Journalist chapter at the communication school and celebrated the Freedom of the Press. By doing that, Duffy apparently pushed the envelope too far as his actions were reprimanded by the faculty. The professor failed to strike a balance between the country’s conservative views on the press and his liberal background and value system. What is especially unfair is that before the incident, Duffy enjoyed a glowing reputation at school. He was literally “kicked out” of the country without a chance to make amends or negotiate.

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It is clear that Zayed University has not been making the best managerial decisions over the last ten years. By struggling to manage its staff and study programs properly, it fails to comply with some of the new policies by the government. It is worth mentioning that the UAE Cabinet, chaired over by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, supported the launch of governmental initiatives that promote happiness and positivity (Mohammed Bin Rashid: happiness & positivity are lifestyles, government commitment, and a spirit uniting UAE community n.d.). Within the said initiatives, the Cabinet encourages organizations to create a positive atmosphere and pleasant working conditions. Since the old ways to manage this education institution did not prove to be helpful, it is time Zayed University tried a new, refreshing approach such as kaizen.

Applying Kaizen to Zayed University

Kaizen offers the following plan in case Zayed University decides to make improvements by using its framework:

Define the problem

The previous section has already outlined the major problems that Zayed University is currently confronted with: poor student outcomes challenged transparency and accountability, and human resources development. Now, the main difficulty regarding the first step for the university could be raising awareness about the state that it is in. From the facts gathered, it appears that problems have been snowballing for quite a while without proper attention. Therefore, one may conclude that if left unaddressed, the situation will not sort it out on its own but rather derail beyond recognition.

Today, a lot of consulting groups specializing in kaizen offer brief training programs for companies who wish to embrace the new system of rules and values. A consulting company that the university will consider as the best fit should be informed about the current needs to communicate the kaizen system in regards to the situation at hand. The training typically includes all employees as one of the values with the kaizen framework is excellent team organization. Awareness and genuine intention to act and transform are only possible if every member is engaged and conscious about what they are doing (Higuchi, Nam & Sonobe, (2015). Over the course of one-two days, a consulting group may present the most appropriate strategies and help the employees become more familiar with the guidelines.

Collect the facts

The second essential step is collecting facts regarding the outlined problem. Part of it has already been done in the previous section; however, Zayed University needs to gain deeper insights into the nature of its current functioning. Typically, there are three stages to data collection:

  1. The pre-data collection includes settling on what types of data a business or an organization needs to make decisions. Given the existing issues, Zayed University might want to look into
    1. Water and electricity bills over the last few years;
    2. Provost election documentation to pinpoint exactly why there have been so many changes;
    3. Student performance and satisfaction;
    4. Employee turnover and complaints.

    Apart from the data type, another important question to answer is how often facts should be collected and what period of time would be appropriate for analysis;

  2. Data collection may include retrospective analysis, e.g., water and electricity bills and documentation. At the same time, some prospective approaches might also be appropriate, such as conducting surveys and inquiring students and employees about their stance on the issues. One thing to remember during the data collection process is to regularly review what has already been done to check whether the information fits the original problem statement;
  3. Post-data collection includes storing data, ensuring access, and presenting the findings in a clear way (Miller,, Wroblewski & Villafuerte, 2014).

Analyze the facts

Once the relevant data is collected, Zayed University needs to analyze the facts to come up with meaningful conclusions. Kaizen and modern business analytics approaches are not mutually exclusive; moreover, they are quite compatible. What should be noted is that kaizen advocates for wholeness, cohesion, and continuity. This means that the end result of data analysis should not be disjointed facts but a full picture of the organization in numbers and figures. As it was mentioned before, kaizen philosophy operates such concepts as point, system, line, plane, and cube. Concerning data analysis, this implies that dots should be connected, i.e., points should constitute systems, lines, planes, and cubes to make them robust.

Kaizen offers a variety of methods for data analysis, focusing on finding the root causes of undesirable events and phenomena:

  1. Ishikawa diagram is useful for the visualization of all possible causes;
  2. 5-Why allows for getting to the root of a problem by asking why consecutively. Example: Q: Why are foreign professors at Zayed University not satisfied? A: They do not like the workplace conditions. Q: Why do they not like the workplace conditions? A: They do not feel that they are valued as much as their Emirati colleagues, and so forth. The 5-Why method is good for exposing deep underlying issues in situations that cannot and should not be simplified for the sake of convenience;
  3. 5W + 1H ensures that everything important in relation to the situation at hand is taken into consideration. 5W stands for five W-questions: why, what, when, where, and who; the H stands for how. By asking a variety of questions, it is possible to look at an issue from different angles and comprehend it in all its complexity (Miller,, Wroblewski & Villafuerte, 2014).

Generate solutions

Generating solutions is the next step in the kaizen implementation plan, and it can go down in different ways. First and foremost, it is important to decide on the group of people in the decision-making positions. As was already mentioned, Zayed University has had issues with the transition of power for a long. Constant changes among the top management of the institution have wreaked havoc on many work processes. Therefore, it is imperative that those people who will ultimately make decisions can be trusted with this task.

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One of the approaches that kaizen offers, in this case, is called “quality circles,” also known as SGA (small group activity). Quality circles are one of the central kaizen concepts that refer to groups of people who gather on a regular basis on a company time (Miller, Wroblewski & Villafuerte, 2014). Kaizen prescribes companies to assign tasks to people who are most knowledgeable about the subject, which needs to become the case for Zayed University. Quality circles are formal and consist of a minimum of three and a maximum of twelve people. Typical topics for analysis and discussion include occupational safety, product design, and workplace improvement, which is pretty much aligned with what Zayed University is to change about its structure. Quality circles deal with problems at two levels:

  1. The idea means a simple and easy solution that can be implemented from the get-go without the need to mobilize and reform the entire institution, e.g., changing the format of logging water and electricity bills;
  2. Subject to improvement is a more complex issue that needs transformation at many levels, e.g., Zayed University’s problematic management culture (Miller, Wroblewski & Villafuerte, 2014).

It should be noted that empirical studies on quality circles have shown that self-initiated groups tend to perform worse than groups started by the top management. Self-initiated circles may show higher attendance due to the intrinsic motivation of the founders and members; yet, they complete fewer tasks and projects. Keeping this in mind, it would be advised to govern quality circles in order to yield the best results.

As for the solution-seeking process, kaizen recognizes widely used practices such as brainstorming. Brainstorming is a group activity with the purpose of collecting as many ideas as possible without filtering or criticizing them at first. It is an active process that has the potential of deeply engaging everyone involved and stimulating their imagination and creativity. Apart from being practical in terms of advancing the cause, brainstorming is also beneficial for group cohesion and satisfaction. When given the creative freedom to generate ideas, managers and employees have the chance to express themselves and make their voices heard. A list of ideas on how to improve work processes at Zayed University may include but is not confined to:

  1. Introducing new ways to log water and electricity bills in compliance with kaizen’s Total Quality Control (statistical tools and approaches for control and improvement);
  2. Revising provost election procedures and investigating the root causes of constant changes among the top management;
  3. Revising study programs to see whether they are up to global standards;
  4. Run surveys among students to gain insights into their experience with receiving an education;
  5. Run surveys among employees to understand the root causes of their dissatisfaction and high turnover rate;
  6. Analyze financial data to make sense of inconsistent and unfair remuneration.

Implement and standardize

Implementing the new solutions may be by far the most challenging step out of the six. Kaizen prescribes companies to refrain from making top-down decisions without really communicating the objective of changes to the employees. In case the new solution proves to be efficient, it needs to be standardized for further use.

Conclusion

Today, the UAE is happy to offer a wide range of world-class programs and enjoys the reputation that its universities have gained over the last few decades. However, the education system is not devoid of shortcomings, and some institutions are struggling more than others. A prime example of a popular university that ran into management problems is Zayed University. For the last decade, Zayed University has been struggling with upholding transparency and accountability and making rather questionable decisions regarding human resources management. Apart from that, some sources accused Zayed University of not keeping its study programs up to global standards. The institution could benefit from kaizen, the Japanese philosophy and management style that focuses on continual improvement. A typical kaizen plan includes defining the problem, collecting the facts, analyzing them, finding solutions, and standardizing them if they prove to be successful. At that, Zayed University needs to commit to engaging employees and management at all levels and assigning appropriate tasks to the most knowledgeable cadres.

References

Bardsley, D. (2008). Web.

Gupta, S., & Jain, S. K. (2014). The 5S and kaizen concept for overall improvement of the organisation: A case study. International Journal of Lean Enterprise Research, 1(1), 22-40.

Higuchi, Y., Nam, V. H., & Sonobe, T. (2015). Sustained impacts of Kaizen training. Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, 120, 189-206.

Miller, J., Wroblewski, M., & Villafuerte, J. (2014). Creating a kaizen culture: Align the organization, achieve breakthrough results, and sustain the gains. Berkshire, UK: McGraw-Hill.

Nelson, L.A. (2012). Web.

Swan, M. (2012).Web.

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